The algorithms across all social media platforms can be tricky to figure out. And the chances are, that as soon as you think you’ve cracked it – they change again! Luckily, there are some methods and ideas to increase engagement levels that stand the test of time and are a sure way to help increase rates across your page.
Here’s our top five tips to help you beat the algorithm and increase your engagement on Instagram!
Be proactive and engage with others
Seems almost a bit backwards that a way to increase engagement is by actually engaging yourself – but trust us, this one works for various reasons. If you click on a page and notice that a brand is sharing content, but isn’t engaging with the people who are engaging with them – it doesn’t look too good and may put other people off from engaging with you. An Instagram page is a great way to reach and interact with potential customers and consumers – so failing to do so can be damaging for a brand and can also negatively impact your engagement!
Take the time to respond to questions and queries on your posts. Like any positive feedback you receive. Go out of your way to reply to a few comments you’re getting. This is a sure way to not only increase your brand reputation and make customers feel valued, but it will also increase your engagement levels due to the Instagram algorithms. If the platform notices you’re active and engaging with others, you’ll be sure to see a positive impact in your engagement rates.
Tap into trending content
A really simple way to begin to increase your engagement is by tapping into trending content on the Instagram platform. This could be a particular hashtag or an awareness day – of course ensure that it’s relevant to your brand! By doing this, you become part of an online conversation that is already well engaged with by users on Instagram. By using hashtags, the post will not only be seen by your current followers, but it will also be served to those who are searching (and therefore interested in), that particular bit of trending content. This will therefore expand your reach and help you to reach a wider audience – which is likely to increase your engagement and followers!
Make sure you’re posting at the right time
This can be a tricky one to get right, but once you’ve cracked it – you’ll notice an uplift in engagement. You want to be posting your content when your audience is active and is therefore most likely to view and engage with your posts. The trick is to find out when this is. You could do this manually by asking your followers via a poll on your stories when they’re most active and when they’d most like to see your content. Or, you could take a trial-and-error approach and share content on different days and times and keep track of when you receive the most engagement. Once you’ve figured out when this is, you’ll be able to post at those times moving forward and will see an increase in engagement levels.
Use hashtags to expand your reach
This is a step that goes back to basics, but it works! Hashtags are a really great way to reach a wider audience and also an audience who are interested in your content and are therefore more likely to engage. You can use up to 30 on each post, however this can look a bit cluttered. It’s best to try and pick between 5-10 hashtags per post, but make them super relevant to the content you’re sharing. In doing so, people who are searching for the hashtags you’ve included will be directed to your post. This expands your reach and will also have a positive impact on your engagement – win win!
Be unique and stand out from the crowd
Social media is a crowded space with thousands and thousands of active accounts sharing content on a daily basis. In order to keep your followers engaged and to attract new ones, you have to find a way to stand out from the crowd. It’s all well and good taking inspiration from other accounts and tapping into trending content – but make sure your approach is unique and reflects your brand values. In doing so, you’ll build up an established audience who are engaged with your content and are left anticipating more!
At Prohibition, we work with a range of brands across all sectors to create engaging social media marketing strategies that allow brands to stay up to date with the latest trends and updates. Get in touch today to find out how we could help you: hello@prohibitionpr.co.uk
